DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mizutani (US 6,184,972 as cited on IDS) in view of Ohashi (US 2021/0074576 as cited on IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Mizutani teaches an apparatus comprising
a stage (1) on which is disposed a to-be- processed substrate (W),
a lifting/rotation mechanism which is capable of lifting (34) the to-be-processed substrate (W) lying on the stage off from an upper surface of the stage so that, at this lifted position, the to-be-processed substrate (W) is capable of rotation (36) about a substrate center by a predetermined rotational angle (col. 10, ln. 33-50);
wherein the lifting/rotation mechanism comprises: a driving rod (13) built into the stage so as to be moveable up and down and also be rotatable (Fig. 2);
and a substrate supporting body having a base end plate part (10, fig. 2 and 3) capable of contacting a central region, including the substrate center, of the to-be- processed substrate (W),
the substrate supporting body also having at least two arm plate parts (11a-11c) elongated from the base end plate part outward thereof so as to be capable of contacting such a portion of the to-be-processed substrate as is lying diametrically (FIG. 2 and 3);
wherein the substrate supporting body (10) is ordinarily immersed into the stage (1, 2a) so that the to-be-processed substrate (W) is supported by such a base end plate part (10) and arm plate parts (11a-11c) as are lifted by an upward movement of the driving rod (13).
Mizutani does not teach a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber.
Ohhashi teaches a vacuum chamber (Fig.8) wherein a substrate is lifted and rotated for processing. Ohhashi teaches substrate holders within vacuum chambers that lift and rotate are well known and operable within the vacuum chamber. Ohhashi teaches vacuum chambers are well known to provide thin films on a substrate. Either of substituting the substrate holder of Ohhashi with that of Mizutani or substituting the transport container of Mizutani with the vacuum chamber of Ohhashi would follow naturally to one of ordinary skill in the art. The rationale to support a conclusion that the claim would have been obvious is that the substitution of one known element for another yields predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the apparatus of Mizutani by providing a vacuum chamber, as taught by Ohhashi, because it would allow forming thin films on a substrate within a controlled environment (pg. 1, [0003] and because one of ordinary skill in the art would have only expected predictable results. MPEP 2143 B.
Regarding claim 2, Mizutani teaches a chuck plate for an electrostatic chuck (col. 23, ln. 60-61), the chuck plate (1) being disposed on a surface of contact of the stage (1) with the to-be-processed substrate (W),
wherein the chuck plate is provided, in a recessed manner, on its upper surface with a retracting space (2a), so as to comply with a contour of the substrate supporting body (10), enabling for the substrate supporting body (10, 11a-11c) to be immersed thereinto such that, in a state in which the substrate supporting body is immersed, the upper surface (14) of the substrate supporting body is flush with the upper surface of the chuck plate (1, col. 9, ln. 33-36, fig. 1 and 2) .
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN J BRAYTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3084. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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JOHN J. BRAYTON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1794
/JOHN J BRAYTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794